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Alastair Cook backs Ollie Pope at No. 3 for Ashes
Former England captain Alastair Cook has thrown his support behind Ollie Pope, urging the selectors to show faith in the right-hander at No. 3 for the upcoming Ashes series. There have been growing calls for Jacob Bethell's inclusion, but Alastair Cook feels that England should stick with Ollie Pope. Pope’s form has sparked debate, with a run of low scores following a promising start to the 2025 summer. After battling criticism early in the season, Pope silenced some doubters with centuries against Zimbabwe and India. But his resurgence proved short-lived, as he managed just a single half-century across his next eight innings.
"I would bat Ollie Pope at No. 3. I think it's quite an easy decision on this, actually. You've got someone who's been part of this build-up for three or four years, he's captained the side, he's played some extraordinary innings for England and he's a hundred-maker," Cook said at the launch of TNT Sports.
"If you get rid of him now, I think that changes the whole dynamic of what they've built up over the last year, how settled they'll feel for that top seven… If it doesn't work out, do you then move back to somebody you just got rid of, confidence-wise? I think it's easy to go the other way, and I think that would be the sensible thing."
The Ashes will begin on November 21 with the first Test in Perth. Interestingly, England's last triumph in Australia was in 2010-2011 and since then they have been unable to challenge Australia and win a series there.
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